Last week was yet another close football matchup for the Purdue Boilermakers as covered in last week’s article. Purdue looked rough most of the game, but so did Northwestern. Neither team looked great, but both were competitive against each other. This is yet another close game that Purdue likely should have won. This is the second game lost by one score and the fourth by less than 20 points. All that to say that it’s been a season full of close, heartbreaking games for Purdue fans.
Now it’s on to the three toughest teams over the last four games, starting off with Ohio State. The Buckeyes are one of the best in the Big Ten so this will likely be a rough week for Purdue fans.
Purdue Boilermakers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Football History
Purdue and Ohio State have faced off a total of 59 times, with the Buckeyes leading the series 42-15-2. The Boilermakers are 9-16 when playing at home, and 5-26-2 when playing at Ohio State. Since 2018, Purdue is 1-2 against the Buckeyes; with the one win happening in West Lafayette when unranked Purdue beat then No. 2 ranked Ohio State, 49-20. Since then, Purdue has loss the last two matchups by a combined score of 100-38. Needless to say that Ohio State has been on a hot streak against the Boilermakers.
Key Players for Purdue
Dillon Thieneman
Safety Dillon Thieneman is looking to make his name known again. Last week, he had 10 total tackles and one pass deflection. While he’s playing better than last year, he’s averaging eight tackles per game instead of the 8.83 he averaged a year ago.
While it’s a bit disappointing to see a lower average, there’s still time for him to boost those numbers. He has four more games to raise the average, and has excellent opportunities to do so against Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State, and Indiana.
It’s likely that Purdue will not perform well against these teams. However, there’s a good chance that Thieneman will be able to put up good numbers.
Will Heldt
Defensive end Will Heldt had a total of 21 tackles over the last five games. In those five games, Heldt had 3.5 TFL’s and 2.5 sacks. He also had a huge forced fumble he recovered for a touchdown.
Heldt is playing like an All-Big Ten edge rusher over these past five matchups. With plenty of time to shine against the top tier of the Big Ten, Heldt is sure to impress. If he continues down this path, he will be a big impact for the defense.
Key Players for Ohio State
Will Howard
Will Howard is playing the kind of football described as “trailer, not truck” in some circles. The meaning of that phrase is that he doesn’t elevate the players around him, but is instead elevated by those around him.
The rest of Ohio State’s offense is like a pickup truck, and Howard is a trailer being pulled behind them. However, very few quarterbacks are “trucks” these days. A vast majority are either “trailers” or worse.
For Ohio State’s quarterback to a “trailer” is not great, but it’s not as bad as it could be. In fact, one could say that Howard is one of the best money could buy. Howard is a player who will likely not win you a game, but he won’t lose you a game, either.
Purdue Boilermakers’ Route to Victory
The Boilermakers have a rough task in front of them if they want to win. Purdue is a team that’s officially eliminated from bowl game contention. They’ve now has gone from “nothing to lose” mentality, to “nothing to gain” mentality. Meanwhile, Ohio State has to win out in order to make the Big Ten Championship game.
For Purdue to win this football game, Ohio State would have to completely overlook the Boilermakers. Purdue does not seem like the kind of program that will be able to pull that off. Instead, it’s more likely that they will show up, play fine on the first two drives, and then will be outscored by Ohio State in a way that can best be described as a beatdown.
Hunter Greene
Hunter started writing for The League Winners in the summer of 2021. Hunter has been playing fantasy football for about a decade, starting in middle school. Now he’s a professional landscaper and avid Colts and Purdue fan.